Some suggestions for zoning changes tossed out

Residents opposed several incentives

After hearing loudly and clearly from residents about proposals to alter rules governing what can be built in Imperial Beach's commercial areas, the City Council removed some of the more contentious recommendations.

The city is hoping to increase tax revenue by attracting more commercial projects, and it hired a consultant in 2007 to come up with ideas for developer incentives.

The most controversial suggestions involve easing height and density restrictions along the Seacoast Drive and the Palm Avenue business districts.

Residents, who had battled against high-rise hotels along the beach in the early 1990s, organized to fight some of the recommendations.

At a special meeting last week, one of several recent public gatherings held on the topic, the council unanimously rejected four of the disputed recommendations.

“If you could take away the four things we were most concerned about, those were the ones and they took them right off,” said resident Michael Carey. “Now, we can have a good discussion about how to make the commercial zone better.”

The city agreed Oct. 26 to ditch plans for:

•An overlay zone that would allow new buildings to be 60 feet tall along Palm Avenue from Emory Street west to Rainbow Drive.

•A requirement to have a minimum number of properties per acre that could potentially create denser neighborhoods. Currently, there is no minimum.

•A 40-foot height limit along the east side of Seacoast Drive, between Imperial Beach Boulevard and Palm, and along Palm east to Third Street. Currently the coastal zone has a 30-foot height limit.

•Doing away with single-family homes west of Ocean Lane, between Palm Avenue and Imperial Beach Boulevard. The council decided to retain the current zoning, which allows for a mix of commercial and single-family homes.

The City Council also discussed the idea of raising the height limit from 30 feet to 36 feet on the east side of Seacoast Drive and along Palm east to Third. The move was aimed at encouraging businesses on the ground level to have a larger space and allow two floors of condominiums or apartments above. Trends show retailers prefer a taller ground level.

In the end, the council narrowly opted for a 35-foot limit, if certain conditions are met. Those conditions will be discussed at a future council meeting. Councilwomen Diane Rose and Patricia McCoy voted against the change.

“I believe that the focus for the Seacoast and Old Palm areas should be on visitor-serving, tourist development,” Rose said. “I don't believe it should be high-density residential. I don't think that if you jam a bunch more people in there somehow that's going to generate more revenue for local businesses.”

The council is set to meet Nov. 18 to review other recommendations, including the maximum amount of space a project can occupy, how far a building must sit from property lines, maximum densities and parking requirements.

At previous meetings, residents vehemently objected to any zoning changes that would allow commercial developments to be too tall or dense. Some residents complained they weren't involved early enough.

Many recalled the local battles over development in the early 1990s, when the council capped new developments to 40 feet.

City officials had said the consultant's recommendations were never to be adopted outright and that the report simply was the start of a long process.